Food allergies among 5th-9th grade schoolchildren in Vilnius (Lithuania)

Allergic diseases are a frequent disorder of children health the world over. The prevalence of food allergies among schoolchildren in Vilnius was estimated by an anonymous, questionnairebased survey. 540 schoolchildren answered the questionnaire. The prevalence of food allergies among schoolchildren was 12.8%. It was independent of the gender and age of respondents. The pupils who did not have food allergies estimated their state of health better than those who did have it. There were two times more children who had food allergy in the families where family members had food allergy, than in families without food allergy. Schoolchildren that had food allergies mostly suffered from body rashes (34.8% of respondents), short breath (14.5%), running and itchy eyes (34.8%). 1.3% of schoolchildren had urticaria; they were mostly allergic to eggs, strawberries, wild strawberries, chocolate and oranges; 1.9% of schoolchildren had atopic dermatitis; they did not tolerate milk, wild strawberries and nuts.